FULSHEAR, Texas — People in the Fulshear community are grieving after the body of 12-year-old Aisha Adebayo was pulled from a neighborhood lake where police say she drowned early Thursday morning.
The girl with autism wandered from her parents’ home Wednesday night before she was reported missing.
The Fulshear Police Department said Aisha was found in a lake near her home in the Cross Creek Ranch neighborhood around 5:45 a.m. She was last seen just after 10 p.m. on Aaron River Trail.
"It is with great sadness that we provide an update on the search for Aisha Adebayo. She was found and tragically had accidentally drowned in a nearby lake by her home. Our hearts are heavy with grief for Aisha and her family,” Fulshear police in a post on Facebook. “We deeply appreciate everyone who helped in the search and shared the information. Please keep Aisha's family in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time."
Her parents said it was just before 9 p.m. when they realized she wasn't in the house. They immediately called the police and took to social media last night asking for assistance from people in the neighborhood to help locate her.
"We appreciate the people of the city of Fulshear as well as Richmond, Houston, and everybody that has come to assist us in locating our daughter," Mutiu Adebayo, her father said. "She’s really precious to us and we’d be happy to have her home as soon as possible safely and sound.”
Her parents said Aisha was non-verbal and was last seen walking away from her home.
Her dad also mentioned she got out of the house once before leading the family to take extra measures to add extra locks to doors and windows, but somehow she found her way out last night.
Fulshear police said it was an all-hands-on-deck effort Thursday morning, including help from bloodhounds that tracked Aisha’s scent to the lake not far from her home where she drowned.
Police also used security video from neighbors overnight that showed her walking toward the lake.
FPD Capt. Mike McCoy said two helicopters and several K-9 units, including a bloodhound from Texas EquuSearch, came out to help with the search.
“Literally hundreds of people, citizens of this community came out to help us search because we truly are a family out here. And it was amazing to see,” McCoy said. “You would’ve been amazed to see all the flashlights and cars driving back and forth, we literally had hundreds and hundreds of eyes helping us out so it was just heart-rendering.”
Fulshear police said this is an ongoing investigation, and in the meantime their thoughts and prayers are with the family.